I'm almost certain I just bought a Mexican Mach 1

[73pony]

That invoice is a great find! You have a very special car there.

 

[MustangNJ]

I'd love to understand what Special means in terms of value. its basically impossible to find prior sales of Mexican mach 1's.

the car is very original, and needs *a lot* of maintenance to get it driving well. basic stuff that needs to be done after 46 years, eg. Hurst shifter rebuild, control arms, bushings, ball joints, etc.

I'd love to understand if a Mexican Mach 1 is worth more than an American Mach 1, and if so, what is the premium for the rarity....or does no one actually care in the marketplace about this kind of rarity?

 

[Don C]

Before you pull the thermostat I would measure the actual temperature of the thermostat housing, after you warm the engine up, with an infrared thermometer. Original gauges are notoriously inaccurate, especially after 40+ years have added resistance to the circuits in the form of corrosion in the connections.

 

[73pony]

I'd love to understand what Special means in terms of value.  its basically impossible to find prior sales of Mexican mach 1's.

the car is very original, and needs *a lot* of maintenance to get it driving well.  basic stuff that needs to be done after 46 years, eg. Hurst shifter rebuild, control arms, bushings, ball joints, etc.

I'd love to understand if a Mexican Mach 1 is worth more than an American Mach 1, and if so, what is the premium for the rarity....or does no one actually care in the marketplace about this kind of rarity?

There are not many Mexican Mach 1's left, especially with the documentation you have there and the car being from your description of "very original". I would assume and from what I have seen a Mexican Mach 1 would command a higher price in the market than a US made one simply due to rarity and the numerous differences in the cars.

 

[72MustangSprint]

Can you get a Marti report for a Mexican Mustang? Deluxe report would give you a idea of rarity.

 

[midlife]

Rarity does not always equate with desirable. Mexican Mustangs are a neat item, but most collectors don't go searching for them specifically. With unique drivetrains and interior parts, they are harder to restore.

 

[MustangNJ]

Rarity does not always equate with desirable.  Mexican Mustangs are a neat item, but most collectors don't go searching for them specifically.  With unique drivetrains and interior parts, they are harder to restore.

you cannot get a Marti report for a car with a Mexican VIN. I tried and received an email back from Marti saying they don't do it.

I have read that there were 600 Mexican Mach 1's made in 1973.  I have no idea how many of those were built with a Hurst 4 speed, factory air, factory radio, etc. those were all options in the Mexican Mach 1.

I agree that rarity does not necessarily make a car valuable. for example,  I really like AMC Eagle wagons.  I've wanted to buy one for years.  I just passed on a really nice one, rust free, with a 5 speed and combination AM/FM/CB Radio. thats a really, really hard to find car in good condition. the asking price was $5,000.  If I had a place to park it, I would have bought it.

 

[secluff]

Any type of Marti report will not be available on any Mexican built Mustang as these were "Knock Down" kits.  These were incomplete vehicle shells that did not move under their own power and did not have a Vin. The Marti reports are derived from info on the Ford invoice (AKA  Lois Eminger).  The invoice contained  retail and dealer cost of the base price and options plus freight and other accounting numbers the dealer needed to put in their accounting system. Since these "Shells" were not built as a complete vehicle in the US and were assigned a Vin when completed in Mexico, they are not in the  Ford US database.

 Mexico had some very strong content laws on component content of  vehicles manufactured there. The engine, transmission and differential were manufactured and supplied to the  La Villa plant  from local Mexico manufacturing  plants. The 351W engine and transmissions were Mexican built but the differential was a Dana unit since Ford did not manufacture 8 or 9" units in Mexico.

As midlife posted, Rarity does not always equate with desirable. It would be safe to say that a large majority of car people outside this Forum have no ideal these Mexican Mustangs even existed. To restore one to original as built condition would probably be a challenge but not impossible. Not so much for the engine since the 351W is still around in great numbers and enjoys a strong aftermarket presence. Interior components unique to these cars and especially for the one year only sportroof could be a problem, but there again nothing a lot of $$$ can't fix!  

 

[detritusmaximus]

Found this one,

http://davidsclassiccars.com/ford/166383-1973-ford-mustang-mach-1-sprint-de-mexico-034rare034-4-speed.html

I'm not sure I would worry about it being worth more. It is an unusual car that you will not see two or three just like it at a car show. If it's a car worth restoring it won't really cost any more than a US Mach1.

 

[MustangNJ]

Found this one,

http://davidsclassiccars.com/ford/166383-1973-ford-mustang-mach-1-sprint-de-mexico-034rare034-4-speed.html

I'm not sure I would worry about it being worth more. It is an unusual car that you will not see two or three just like it at a car show. If it's a car worth restoring it won't really cost any more than a US Mach1.

I usually make my vintage cars/trucks into rest-mods, but with this Mustang I am going to show restraint.  my intent is to replace parts and do all required maintenance, which is extensive due to the large number of 46 yo parts that are worn out.

I had planned to add AC, so I was very happy to discover that its a factory AC car, so this will not be a mod, but a repair...

 

[72MustangSprint]

Found this one,

http://davidsclassiccars.com/ford/166383-1973-ford-mustang-mach-1-sprint-de-mexico-034rare034-4-speed.html

I'm not sure I would worry about it being worth more. It is an unusual car that you will not see two or three just like it at a car show. If it's a car worth restoring it won't really cost any more than a US Mach1.

I thought the Mexican Mach 1 had the tu-tone paint jobs and the big Mach 1 decal on the rear quarters like the one in the link.

 

[detritusmaximus]

Like all the other Mustangs out there, probably not original paint. I can easily see someone on this side of the border repainting it to be more like what they expect a Mach1 to look like...a US market Mach1.  The only thing I've seen to give me pause is the screw(s) holding the data plate on. They do not look like what I would expect, but then again, the car was not put together here, so....

 

[MustangNJ]

Found this one,

http://davidsclassiccars.com/ford/166383-1973-ford-mustang-mach-1-sprint-de-mexico-034rare034-4-speed.html

I'm not sure I would worry about it being worth more. It is an unusual car that you will not see two or three just like it at a car show. If it's a car worth restoring it won't really cost any more than a US Mach1.

I thought the Mexican Mach 1 had the tu-tone paint jobs and the big Mach 1 decal on the rear quarters like the one in the link.

you are thinking of the Sprint paint job. not all Mach 1's are sprints, and I'm not sure all Sprints are Mach 1's.  I have the original dealer invoice showing mach 1, and the exterior paint was Bronze with a black vinyl interior

 

[MustangNJ]

so just completed a bunch of work on the Mexican Mach 1:

1. carb clean to remove gunked up ethanol residue. surging and stalling issue is fixed

2. Sending unit replaced, which helped with surging/stalling.

3. gas gauge works now

4. temp gauge works. there was no thermostat in the housing !

5. Shifter "rebuilt" without a rebuild kit. shifter no longer binds between reverse and first. still needs a rebuild kit, but its about 80% now

6. replaced all shocks

7. replaced all springs

8. new upper and lower control arms

9. new radius arms

10. new inner and outer tie rods

11. new pitman and idler arms

12. new front wheel bearings and seals

13. new front brake calipers...a bleeder bolt broke off and I could not extract it. calipers were cheap so I bought new ones

14. new brake houses

15. new fuel hoses

16. new sway bar bushings

17. changed engine oil. it was dark but no coolant or burned oil

18. topped off gear oil and transmission fluid

19. fixed passenger brake light....by reinserting bull into housing....easy fix !

I didn't have access to any alignment equipment. the wheel base is dead-on the driver side, off by 3/16's on passenger side. camber, toe etc are not dialed in yet. the car does not pull to one side, but there is def a small geometry issue because the steering input is getting translated in strange ways to the wheels

in general, the car is driving great. had it up to 100 kph on a local road. car feels solid, minus the wonky steering. under hard acceleration I am getting a few pops and possibly a clunk. need to figure that out.

then of course on the maiden voyage yesterday I blew a hole in the timing cover and needed to get towed because the coolant all came pouring out the gaping hole.

anyway, this car with a 4 speed is awesome and sounds great. everyone looks and thumbs up. its getting there. whenever I buy a "new" old car, I know there is a long period of fixing everything that breaks....

 

[Spike Morelli]

I think that Mexican Mach, is a very cool find !

 

[1973 Mach-1]

It looks like you're well on your way to a fun car. Congrats!

 

[Spike Morelli]

I didn't see an engine tune-up on your list. I bought my car used, and that, along with an oil change was done " day 1". I guess it's the engine guy in me to re-build the carb and tune it up first.